Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh vs Oakland: Odds & Prediction

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:52:36 -0400

Start: Mar 19 2010 - 2:55pm

Team Previews: #3 Pittsburgh -- #14 Oakland

Vegas Odds: Pittsburgh -10.5 -- Bet at bodog

Why Oakland will win:

Oakland's lost only 1 game since New Year's and rolled through the Summit League championship with double-digit wins in each game. Keith Benson is as good a talent as anyone Pitt has.

Grizzly to Watch:

Keith Benson, F - 17 ppg, 11 rpg, 1 apg

The 6-11 junior is a bona fide pro prospect and a legit force down low. Oakland can be successful without Benson racking up points, but they can't win unless he dominates the boards and creates havoc in the defensive interior.

Why Pittsburgh will win:

Pitt's beaten Syracuse, West Virginia, and Villanova while Oakland's beaten.. IUPUI? Some of Pitt's early hiccups came w/o Jermaine Dixon and the Panthers haven't had a bad loss since.

Panther to Watch:

Jermaine Dixon, G - 11 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 apg

Pittsburgh hit their groove this year once Dixon returned to the court in mid-December. He's not a great outside shooter, but finds ways to score. Not nearly as consistent as Ashton Gibbs, Dixon runs hot and cold.

How it will go down:

Oakland got crushed against all of their named opponents, and although I think Pitt is over-seeded as #3, they shouldn't have much trouble putting the Grizzlies away in the 2nd half.

Betting Pick: Pittsburgh

Real Pick: Pittsburgh

West Region Preview & Predictions

Raphielle Johnson — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:49:02 -0400

While injuries in recent seasons have dropped a team a seed line few have hovered over a region like the right quadriceps injury to Syracuse center Arinze Onuaku. The Orange were rightfully rewarded for their overall body of work, giving them a one seed. However, how much were the penalized for the fifth-year senior’s injury? Thought by many to be a lock along with Kansas and Kentucky, Syracuse was actually slipped in behind Duke and all the way out to Salt Lake City. Essentially boasting a seven-man rotation with a healthy Onuaku, what happens if he (according to some reports) can’t go the opening weekend?

Do they go small or hope that DaShonte Riley and/or James Southerland can give them something of consequence? They will be tested early, most likely as soon as the second round with a matchup against either Gonzaga or Florida State. Both teams have bodies up front that they can throw at the Orange in attempts of taking advantage of the top-seed’s overall lack of depth. But you’ve still got to account for the likes of Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins, Rick Jackson and the bench combo of Scoop Jardine and Kris Joseph. Some may have been quick to jump off the Syracuse bandwagon in light of their loss to Georgetown and Arinze’s injury, but this is still a talented club with a coach who’s won more than 800 games.

Kansas St and Pittsburgh are next in line when it comes to seeding; the Wildcats have one of the most explosive backcourts in the nation (Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente) as well as a deep frontcourt. Pittsburgh bowed out of the Big East Tournament in the quarterfinals but this is not a team to underestimate; Jamie Dixon’s club used the preseason prediction of tenth as motivation to finish second in the nation’s toughest conference. Ashton Gibbs and Jermaine Dixon will need to lead the way but Gary McGhee will have his hands full with Oakland’s Keith Benson, a legit NBA prospect, in the opening round.

Vanderbilt (Murray State) and Butler (UTEP) have first round matchups that could very well result in both going home early. Billy Kennedy’s Racers were the first team to thirty wins on the season and features a high-octane offense where six players average ten points per game, making it extremely difficult to focus on one or two guys to slow down. And UTEP had to sweat on Selection Sunday, despite entering the week in the Top 25, but Tony Barbee’s got a team that could make a run all the way to the second weekend.

Randy Culpepper is an explosive guard that could give Butler fits and Derrick Caracter has the offensive skill and physical bulk to get Matt Howard into foul trouble. But they’ll need Arnett Moultrie and Jeremy Williams to play well up front in order to knock off Gordon Hayward and company. Brad Stevens’ club is tough and thanks to their non-conference schedule more than ready for any challenge they could face. But once again: Howard must stay out of foul trouble. Be it UTEP or possible matchups down the line against Vanderbilt and Syracuse, the Bulldogs will need Howard on the floor in order to be successful.

Other teams to keep tabs on include BYU (if they find a way to win two games they’d be playing a virtual home game in Salt Lake City in the Sweet 16), Xavier (Chris Mack’s team has experience and a solid rotation featuring Jason Love and A10 Player of the Year Jordan Crawford), and a pair of bubble teams that either played their way in (Minnesota) or held their breath until their name showed up on the TV screen (Florida, perhaps the tournament’s lone bubble surpruse). But for all the players who will be featured in the West Regional, it will likely be a right quad that paints the picture of this region in regards to who wins it.

Predictions

West Champion: Syracuse

Sweet 16: UTEP, Xavier and Kansas State

Best 1st Round Game: #12 UTEP vs. #5 Butler

1st Round Upset Possibility: #13 Murray State over #4 Vanderbilt

Scary Underachiever: #11 Minnesota

Sweet 16 “Crasher”: UTEP

Players who can shoot their team to an upset:

G Jimmer Fredette (BYU), G Randy Culpepper (UTEP), G Steven Gray (Gonzaga), F Elias Harris (Gonzaga)

All-Regional Team:

G Jimmer Fredette (BYU), G Jacob Pullen (Kansas State), F Elias Harris (Gonzaga), F Wes Johnson (Syracuse), F Gordon Hayward (Butler)

Poll: Who Will Get the Final #2 Seed?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 13:29:24 -0400

Pittsburgh 2010 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Joel Welser — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:43:02 -0500

Pittsburgh Panthers

Big East Conference (24-8, 13-5)

Big Wins: 1/2 at Syracuse (82-72), 2/12 West Virginia (98-95), 2/21 Villanova (70-65)

Bad Losses: 12/8 at Indiana (64-74), 1/24 at Seton Hall (61-64), 1/31 at USF (61-70)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2009, Elite Eight loss to Villanova

Coach: Jamie Dixon (9-6 in 6 NCAA appearances)

Why They Can Surprise:

Replacing a player like Levance Fields takes more than one player. Last year Fields led the Panthers to the Elite Eight averaging 10.7 points and 7.5 assists. However, a handful of players have stepped up to fill the void. And this is still Pittsburgh; a team that will always play tough defense and hit the glass hard.

But taking care of the ball and picking up the scoring slack left behind by Fields has been the job of Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wanamaker and Travon Woodall. Gibbs usually does not worry too much about passing, but he is certainly capable of creating opportunities for his teammates. Yet, Pittsburgh needs Gibbs on the perimeter since he is easily the most prolific outside shooter on the team. Wanamaker has turned into a surprisingly good all-around player. He is second on the team in scoring and also adds 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. Woodall is a true point guard and will be on the floor when Coach Jamie Dixon needs another ballhandler.

Why They Can Disappoint:

In year’s past it was not a big deal that the Panthers would not create turnovers. They played safe, tough defense and rarely took a chance on a steal. That is not a bad thing to do when you have great interior scorers. However, this year the Panthers lack size and experience in the paint. Gary McGhee is a fine rebounder and a great shot blocker, but he is not a consistent scorer in the paint. Nasir Robinson is more of a wing than a power forward and Dante Taylor is an inexperienced freshman who has done an admirable job, but is certainly not ready to be a consistent scorer in the paint. While rebounding is not a problem thanks to athletes like Wanamaker, size and experience in the paint will be the undoing of Pitt sooner or later.

Who To Watch:

Two of Pitt’s superstars spent part of the year on the bench and their return has made this a deep and even more talented team. Gilbert Brown is a 6-6 wing who is physical enough to play at the four spot and crafty enough to hit the three-pointer with consistency. He has been quite inconsistent since missing the first dozen games of the season, but Brown is an experienced player who will help the team dominate the boards even more. Being the only returning starter from last year, Jermaine Dixon was supposed to be the leader of this team in every way. However, Dixon missed the first eight games of the season and was later slowed by an ankle injury. His absence allowed other players to gain valuable experience, but he is ready to take over this team in the tournament.

Probable Starters:

Ashton Gibbs, Sophomore, Guard, 15.8 ppg, 1.9 apg

Jermaine Dixon, Senior, Guard, 10.7 ppg, 2.3 apg

Brad Wanamaker, Junior, Guard, 12.1 ppg, 4.7 apg, 5.7 rpg

Nasir Robinson, Sophomore, Forward, 6.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg

Gary McGhee, Junior, Center, 7.0 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.8 bpg

Key Roleplayers:

Gilbert Brown, Junior, Forward, 10.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg

Dante Taylor, Freshman, Forward, 4.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg

Travon Woodall, Freshman, Guard, 4.8 ppg, 3.2 apg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 68.8 (178^th in nation, 12^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 61.7 (37, 1)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.7 (107, 9)

Field-Goal Defense: 39.8 (34, 3)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.4 (249, 14)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 34.8 (140, 6)

Free-Throw Percentage: 69.4 (152, 8)

Rebound Margin: 4.8 (37, 4)

Assists Per Game: 16.0 (22, 4)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.5 (71, 6)

Follow Joel Welser's Postseason Capsules & College Basketball Previews on Twitter @Joel_Welser and on his Facebook page. Joel will be back in June for his annual Top 144 Teams in 144 Days preview on CollegeHoops.net

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Poll: Who Will Win the Big East Tournament?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:01:03 -0500

Big East: All-Conference Teams

Press Release — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:33:20 -0500

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – For the third straight year, Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the league announced. The conference’s head coaches choose the all-conference teams. The coaches are not permitted to vote for their own players.

Six players were named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. The BIG EAST Player of the Year will come from that list. The conference will announce Player of the Year, Oppenheimer Funds/BIG EAST Coach of the Year, BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete on Tuesday, March 9. The announcement will be made between sessions of the first day of The BIG EAST Championship Presented by New York Life at Madison Square Garden. The press conference will begin after the postgame interviews of the afternoon doubleheader have been completed. The other individual awards will be announced Monday, March 8.

The other first-team selections are: Greg Monroe of Georgetown, Dominique Jones of USF, Wes Johnson of Syracuse, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova, Da’Sean Butler of West Virginia.

Harangody, a 6-8 senior, was first in the BIG EAST in scoring with a 23.3 average and finished third in rebounding with a 9.7 mark. In league games, he compiled averages of 22.5 points and 9.4 boards. As a junior, Harangody became the first player in BIG EAST history to win the scoring and rebounding crowns in two seasons. This year, Harangody missed five games with a knee injury. He becomes only the 11th player in league history to earn All-BIG EAST First Team accolades three times.

Monroe, a 6-11 sophomore, was Georgetown’s second leading scorer, averaging 16.0 ppg. He also pulled down 9.6 rebounds, which was fourth in the BIG EAST. Last season, Monroe was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.

Jones, a 6-4 junior guard, was the key component in USF’s rise in the standings. The junior averaged 21.3 points in all games and won the BIG EAST scoring crown by averaging 23.2 points in league play. The Bulls, who had never won more than four BIG EAST games in a season, finished the year with a 9-9 conference record. Jones was second on the team in rebounding with a 6.4 rebounding mark.

Johnson was a critical addition for Syracuse. A transfer from Iowa State who sat out last season, the 6-7 junior led the Orange in scoring and rebounding with 15.7 and 8.5 averages, respectively. Syracuse won the BIG EAST regular-season crown with a 15-3 record.

Reynolds has been the cornerstone for Villanova’s success. The 6-2 senior guard was the team’s top scorer with an 18.8 average. He led the Wildcats to a 24-6 overall record and a 13-5 league mark, which tied for second place.

Butler, an All-BIG EAST Second Team pick last season, also was his team’s top scorer and leader. The 6-7 senior forward averaged a team-leading 17.2 ppg and 6.3 rebounds. WVU also finished 24-6 overall and 13-5 in the BIG EAST.

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, So., 6-11, 247, New Orleans, La.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Sr., 6-8, 255, Schererville, Ind.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, Jr., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Wes Johnson, Syracuse, F, Jr., 6-7, 205, Corsicana, Texas
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Sr., 6-2, 190, Herndon, Va. *
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Sr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Austin Freeman, Georgetown, G, Jr., 6-4, 237, Mitchelville, Md.
Lazar Hayward, Marquette, F, Sr., 6-6, 225, Buffalo, N.Y.
Ashton Gibbs, Pittsburgh, G, So., 6-2, 190, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, Jr., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.
Andy Rautins, Syracuse, G, Sr., 6-5, 195, Jamesville, N.Y.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Jerome Dyson, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-3, 190, Potomac, Md.
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, So., 6-1, 172, Bronx, N.Y.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, So., 6-9, 260, Trelawny, Jamaica
Corey Fisher, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-1, 200, Bronx, N.Y.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, So., 6-9, 210, Long Island City, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Jimmy Butler, Marquette, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Tomball, Texas
Tim Abromaitis, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 232, Unionville, Conn.
Jamine Peterson, Providence, F, So., 6-6, 230, Brooklyn, N.Y.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Lance Stephenson, Cincinnati, G, Fr., 6-5, 210, Brooklyn, N.Y. *
Alex Oriakhi, Connecticut, F/C, Fr., 6-9, 240, Lowell, Mass.
Vincent Council, Providence, G, Fr., 6-2, 180, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dane Miller, Rutgers, F, Fr., 6-7, 210, Henrietta, N.Y. *
Brandon Triche, Syracuse, G, Fr., 6-4, 198, Jamesville, N.Y.
Maalik Wayns, Villanova, G, Fr., 6-1, 185, Philadelphia, Pa.

College Hoops Thursday Recap: Dayton Drops Another Close One

Raphielle Johnson — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:54:35 -0500

Dayton went into Thursday night's game at Richmond knowing that they needed a tough win, especially on the road, to improve their resume in regards to a possible at-large bid. Having dropped six games by four points or less (five of which came on the road) they needed to find some way in which to reverse that luck. All they were able to do is add another line to the list, losing 60-56 at Robins Center despite out-rebounding the Spiders 44-25 on the night. The issues for Dayton have been two-fold and Thursday night was simply the most recent example. The Flyers haven't shot consistently from the field (34% against Richmond) and they've turned the ball over as well (19 TOs, converted into 20 Richmond points). When 32% of your possessions end with a turnover you're in trouble.

Chris Johnson led Dayton with 13 points and nine rebounds off the bench and Marcus Johnson (10 points) was the other Flyer in double figures. The Spiders, who will have one of the four first-round byes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, were led by Kevin Anderson (22 points) and David Gonzalvez (14 points). A problem for Dayton on this night: attempting more than a third of their shots from behind the arc, which is more an indictment of the tempo at which the game was played (62 possessions) than the shot selection of Brian Gregory's team. There are plenty of athletes who can run the floor on this team; getting drawn into a half-court game by a team like Richmond will get Dayton in trouble.

"We had too many empty possessions," said Gregory. "Twenty turnovers in a low-possession game works out to just about a turnover every other possession (quote courtesy of the University of Dayton)."

But they can ill-afford to worry about this result with Saint Louis visiting in the regular season finals. The Billikens won in overtime in the first meeting, a game very few expected Rick Majerus' young team to win. "The only thing we can afford to do is regroup, get back to Dayton and work toward getting a win on Saturday against Saint Louis," noted Gregory. And unfortunately for he and his team they're running out of opportunities to bolster their resume.

Three Key Happenings

1. A wild quarterfinal round drops three of the top four seeds in the Atlantic Sun. The quarterfinal round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament is in the books and it's a round many will point to as a clear answer in regards to how crazy March can be. Both lower-seeded teams won on Thursday night, with Mercer knocking off Belmont and East Tennessee State dropping Campbell. Adding these two to Kennesaw State beating Lipscomb yesterday and all of a sudden Jacksonville may come to the conclusion that they've got a clear path to the automatic bid.

Not so fast, especially considering that they'll be playing a virtual road game on Friday night against host Mercer. James Florence and Daniel Emerson combine to make up one of the better inside/outside tandems in the A-Sun. As for the Bucs, who take on the aforementioned Owls tomorrow, Micah Williams went off for 32 points to make the Camels pay for guard Lorne Merthie's cold night (3-13 FG). With conventional favorites Lipscomb and Belmont gone this is anyone's tournament but give the early edge to Mercer since they're the host school. Don't be surprised if the Bears end up cutting down the nets.

2. Ashton Gibbs' heroics clinch a double-bye for Pittsburgh. Providence was just 3.5 seconds away from a huge upset victory for Keno Davis' team. But as the Friars have shown this season they can leave the door open for foes, and they've been made to pay for it. Pittsburgh, thanks to Ashton Gibbs, simply became the most recent opponent to highlight Providence's inability to finish, and they also clinched the final double-bye for the upcoming Big East Tournament. Gibbs (25 points), Jermaine Dixon (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Brad Wanamaker (10 points, 13 assists) helped Pitt survive a putrid night from the foul line (3-10), but truth be told the Friars could have put things away had they made more foul shots themselves (13-23). The Panthers know firsthand that having the double-bye doesn't mean automatic success since they had it last year and lost to West Virginia in their first game. But the majority of coaches would be more than willing to take their chances with it.

3. Coastal Carolina and Winthrop take care of business to move on to the Big South final. The Chanticleers did as expected and routed UNC Asheville in front of a partisan crowd in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. However it won't be defending champion Radford who they take on for the third time this season in Saturday's final. That's because Randy Peele's Winthrop Eagles did an outstanding job on the defensive end to neutralize Art Parakhouski, winning 61-46. Radford shot just 25% overall and 2-18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc.

The poor perimeter shooting allowed Winthrop the luxury of sagging defensively and taking away the paint, and despite double-doubles from Parakhouski (11 points, 18 rebounds) and Joey Lynch-Flohr (17 points, 11 rebounds) the Highlanders didn't have enough offensively to take care of Winthrop. But while the Eagles have the ability to defend they're going up against a far more versatile offensive team in Coastal Carolina on the Chanticleers' home floor. They'll need Thursday night's effort and then some if they're to pull off the upset on the road.

Top Three Games

1. Pittsburgh 73, Providence 71 See above.

2. Drake 63, Southern Illinois 61 A Josh Young jumper with one second remaining gave Drake their third win of the season over the Salukis, and their reward is a matchup with regular season champ Northern Illinois on Friday. Carlton Fay led SIU with 14 points.

3. Michigan St 67, Penn St 65 The Spartans avoided losing to the Nittany Lions in East Lansing for the second consecutive season behind 16 points from Raymar Morgan and 14 from Draymond Green. Talor Battle and Chris Tabb scored 16 apiece to lead the Lions.

Three Notable Performances

1. F Jamine "Greedy" Peterson (Providence) The redshirt sophomore was sensational in a losing effort for the Friars, scoring 24 points and grabbing 18 rebounds.

2. F Herb Pope (Seton Hall) Pope helped lead the Pirates to an 85-74 win over in-state rival Rutgers with 22 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.

3. G Brandon Fields (Nevada) Fields finished with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the Wolf Pack's 100-92 win over New Mexico State.

Big East Bubble Watch: Who Will Be Dancing?

Blake Hofstad — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 09:40:15 -0500

The Big East is nearly as strong at the top as it was a year ago, when it could claim three of the four number one seeds in the NCAA Tournament. This season, however, nearly half of the Big East teams lie squarely on the bubble. There seems to be very little separation between teams 6-12 in the conference and it is difficult to determine who will end up where when the season ends. The Big East Tournament may be the deciding factor on which bubble teams make it, and which fall short.

Team	Record	RPI*	SOS*	vs. Top 100
Louisville	15-9	43	6	4-7
South Florida	15-8	49	26	5-7
Cincinnati	14-9	52	16	5-9
Connecticut	14-10	57	7	7-7
Marquette	15-8	59	48	3-7
Notre Dame	17-8	62	60	4-5
Seton Hall	13-9	65	9	4-9

*RPI #'s updated through yesterday morning, and doesn't include last night's games.

If you are judging by this chart, it appears Louisville and South Florida have the strongest cases. Both have respectable computer numbers and have gotten the job done against the top 100. Connecticut is close behind. Because the Big East has five teams (Syracuse, Villanova, Georgetown, West Virginia, and Pitt) locked in at this point, it is likely that only three from this group will go dancing. However, when examining bubble teams, the Committee puts a certain weight on the big win category. It’s imperative that a bubble team be able to boast a win over a big time opponent. That’s something South Florida and Connecticut can claim, over Georgetown and Texas, respectively. Louisville can not. All four of their top 100 wins come over teams outside the top 50. Meanwhile, Cincinnati has wins over Vanderbilt and Maryland. These were not home wins, as all four of Louisville’s top 100 wins were. They came at the Maui Invitational. Marquette has wins over Georgetown and Xavier. Notre Dame beat West Virginia. Even Seton Hall, who seems the least likely to garner a bid as of right now, beat Pittsburgh. But if the season ended today, it would be likely that Louisville, Connecticut and South Florida would get the three bubble Big East bids. Looking down the road, however, that could change.

Louisville’s season may come down to a two game road stretch where they travel to Storrs and Milwaukee. If they win both those games, they should be able to feel confident about their Tournament status, especially considering the rest of their remaining schedule. If they lose both, they stand on shaky ground. A split would likely be enough to get them in.

Connecticut will have to defend its home court against the likes of Cincinnati, Louisville and West Virginia, and go on the road to face Syracuse, South Florida, Notre Dame and Villanova. That’s a gauntlet of a schedule, and the Huskies have to win at least four of those games to rest at ease on Selection Sunday.

South Florida has the easiest path to the Dance. It’s probably safe to assume they lose at Villanova, and Marquette will likely defeat them in Milwaukee, but the only other road trip is at DePaul, and the teams they do play at home, Cincinnati, Connecticut, St. John’s and Providence, aren’t extremely scary. It would be surprising if South Florida didn’t finish with at least 19 wins going into the Big East Tournament.

Marquette has a great shot at making the Big Dance as well, and could potentially win out. Their most difficult opponent, Pittsburgh, they get at home, and the rest of the teams they play are either on the Big East bubble or are out of the picture. 20 wins should be the goal for Buzz Williams.

Things look grim for the Bearcats. A two game road trip against fellow bubble teams UConn and South Florida begins their final stretch, and they close out with West Virginia, Villanova and Georgetown. That’s not a good way to end the season, but it does give Cincinnati numerous chances for a big win, as well as skyrockets it’s SOS into the top ten, most likely.

Seton Hall is only 4-7 in conference now, but they close on a good note. Marquette travels to the Hall to play, and the only game that looks impossible is a trip to Morgantown to do battle with the Mountaineers.

Notre Dame is only three wins away from 20, but with their relatively weak computer numbers, that may not be enough. They are notorious for being strong at home and inept on the road (they've lost 4 in a row away from home), and their three remaining road games are all against difficult opponents. The Irish do have three very winnable games at home, however.

Ultimately, only three of these teams are likely to go dancing, barring a nosedive from Pittsburgh. Right now, those three would be Louisville, South Florida and Connecticut. However, with Marquette’s easier road to the finish, they seem to be the team most likely to unseat Connecticut and go dancing.

College Hoops Wednesday Recap: Tigers Blitz North Carolina

Raphielle Johnson — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 01:49:24 -0500

On a night that saw some of the nation's best teams go on the road and pick up victories it was appropriate that one of the less experienced teams fell in front of a raucous crowd. North Carolina started off slowly and paid dearly at Clemson, falling by the final score of 83-64. Trevor Booker led the way with 21 points while Demontez Stitt (20 points) and Tanner Smith (14 points, six rebounds, five steals) helped make life difficult for North Carolina. Dexter Strickland scored seventeen off the bench but he was the only player to score in double figures for the Tar Heels.

The inexperience reared its ugly head in the form of twenty-five turnovers that Clemson converted into thirty-three points. The Tigers were a +20 in the points off turnovers category and a +11 in points from the foul line, additional numbers that compensated for North Carolina outrebounding Clemson 38-30. Roy Williams even benched his starting five for a short stretch of the second half in attempts to snap them out of their offensive doldrums but that was to no avail. In what's a huge victory for the Clemson program (their first over UNC since 2004) Oliver Purnell now encounters the task of getting the Tigers to take this show on the road. If they can do that, they'll be a true contender in what's shaping up to be a wild ACC race.

Three Key Happenings

1. Pitt completes three-game road swing with a win. The Panthers, who were at times a terrible offensive team in the season's first month, may have declared themselves to be a team with staying power in their 67-57 win at Connecticut on Wednesday. While some may remain hesitant to say that the Panthers are a title contender you cannot ignore what they've done in their first three Big East road games. In Hartford the Panthers won despite shooting 39.0% from the field thanks to their defense and rebounding, staples of the Pittsburgh program.

Brad Wanamaker and Ashton Gibbs scored nineteen points apiece and Pitt pulled away thanks to a +13 second-half rebounding margin. Stanley Robinson led the Huskies with nineteen but once again the Huskies struggled to get their main cogs going at the same time. In the first half it was all Robinson, who scored seventeen of the Huskies' first 34 points. But he scored just two the rest of the way while Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker didn't get going until Robinson cooled off. Credit Pittsburgh for doing a better job of running the half-court sets, allowing them to move to 4-0 in league play.

2. Georgia Tech shows the inability to handle prosperity. It's tough to go on the road in any conference, much less one the caliber of the ACC. But for the Yellow Jackets, coming off of a win over Duke on Saturday, to drop one at Virginia leads to the questioning of Georgia Tech's ability to play a role in the title hunt. But turnovers weren't the culprit on this night; the ability of the Cavaliers to get to the foul line and convert (23-26 FT) while Georgia Tech made just three of eleven from the charity stripe. Sylven Landesburg led four Cavaliers in double figures with 22 points and Mustapha Farrakhan added fifteen off the bench.

But more important for the Yellow Jackets, who had five players finish in double figures, is the issue of allowing the euphoria of their win over Duke to linger. You can't afford to do that when the games become bigger in March; such an attitude will more times than not result in your season ending earlier than anticipated. And don't look now but there's just one ACC team undefeated in conference play: Virginia.

3. It's time to pay attention to the one Conference USA team many have ignored. In the midst of Memphis continuing their epic conference win streak and some of the more glamorous schools being thought of a worthy challengers to the throne, Donnie Jones' Marshall Thundering Herd have gotten off to a 14-2 start. The Herd moved to 3-0 in league play with their 81-75 win at UCF as Chris Lutz (21 points) and freshman Hassan Whiteside (14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks) led the way. In total five Thundering Herd players reached double figures and as a team Marshall was a +13 in rebounding margin and a +17 in points at the foul line. Next up for Marshall is Tulane before they hit the roughest stretch of games on their schedule, beginning with rival West Virginia next week. Winners of five straight and 9-0 at home, it may be time to pay closer attention to Marshall in regards to who could possibly win Conference USA.

Top Three Games

1. Missouri 94, Texas Tech 89 (OT) The Tigers were able to survive on the road thanks to a team-high 20 points from Marcus Denmon. Texas Tech's John Roberson led all scorers with 25 points while Mike Singletary grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.

2. Vanderbilt 65, Alabama 64 A Jeffrey Taylor free throw with six seconds remaining capped an 8-2 Vanderbilt run over the final 3:19. Alabama's Mikhail Torrance led all scorers with 25 points while Vandy was led in scoring by A.J. Ogilvy (13 pts).

3. Creighton 71, Southern Illinois 69 Antoine Young's basket with 1.3 seconds left in the game gave the Blue Jays the win in Omaha. On a day that also featured Greg Echenique making the decision to transfer to Creighton by way of Rutgers Justin Carter led Creighton with 19 points.

Three Notable Performances

1. F/C Hassan Whiteside (Marshall) Whiteside posted his second triple-double of the season with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks to aid in the Thundering Herd's 81-75 win at UCF.

2. F Amu Saaka (Furman) Saaka led the Paladins with 34 points and nine rebounds in an 86-81 home loss to Davidson.

3. G Andy Rautins (Syracuse) Rautins stuffed the stat sheet in the 81-65 win over Rutgers with 23 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

College Hoops Wednesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 23:43:54 -0500

Wednesday night doesn't lack for appealing matchups on the hardwood, with one of the best rivalries in the Big East last decade sharing the stage with key games in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 ad Mountain West. Connecticut, who can use a "big" win this season, hosts a resurgent Pittsburgh squad that is one of two Big East teams still undefeated in conference play. Ashton Gibbs has stepped up in recent weeks and the return of Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon has given Jamie Dixon's team more depth on the perimeter. The questions for the Huskies: can they rebound consistently and can they be efficient in their half-court offense? Look for this to go down to the wire at the XL Center.

Wisconsin has a dangerous game in Evanston against Northwestern, and it will be even tougher with Jon Leuer out with a broken wrist. Trevon Hughes and Jason Bohannon will have added responsibilities offensively but when you've got one of the nation's best coaches in Bo Ryan you still have a good chance to win games. The Wildcats can certainly use the win in their quest for the program's first-even NCAA Tournament berth. Michael Thompson has improved substantially since last season, allowing Northwestern to remain in contention for a berth despite losing three key players early in the season to injury.

Other games to keep an eye on include Clemson hosting North Carolina (the Tigers had better get the ball to Trevor Booker early and often), Texas Tech and Missouri facing off in Lubbock, a showdown in Las Vegas (SDSU/UNLV) and two of the favorites in the WAC facing off in Reno. Should be a fun night.

TV GAMES

6:30p BTN Minnesota at Michigan St
7p ESPN Boston College at Duke
7p ESPN2 Pittsburgh at Connecticut
7p ESPNU Cincinnati at St. John's
8p CBS-College Marshall at UCF
8p MTN BYU at Air Force
8:30p BTN Wisconsin at Northwestern
9p ESPN North Carolina at Clemson
9p ESPN2 Kansas at Nebraska
9p ESPNU Missouri at Texas Tech
10p CBS-College San Diego St at UNLV
10p MTN Utah at New Mexico
11p ESPN2 Utah State at Nevada

OTHER GAMES

7p Georgia Tech at Virginia
7p Miami at Virginia Tech
7:05p Wichita St at Indiana St
7:30p Charlotte at Xavier
8p UTEP at Houston
9p Vanderbilt at Alabama

ONE PREDICTION

Northwestern over Wisconsin: Going with the upset here. Both teams will be happy to play this one in the sixties, but while the Wildcats are by no means desperate they need a solid win for their resume. Look for Thompson and John Shurna to make big plays down the stretch to sew up the upset.